Tina Trachtenburg, Plush Pizza Rat. Photo: Twitter/ @motherpigeon.
Tina Trachtenburg, Plush Pizza Rat. Photo: Twitter/ @motherpigeon.

The Internet has been abuzz this week over a video of a rat dragging a slice of pizza down the steps of a subway platform, which went viral after being posted to YouTube on September 21. Widely agreed to be “the most New York thing ever,” the hungry rodent even went on to be the subject of a profile (of sorts) in the New Yorker. If you for some reason haven’t yet watched the video, we highly recommend you do so.

We figured it was only a matter of time before some enterprising artist decided to riff on the Internet sensation, and it looks like the moment has finally come: Tina Trachtenburg, a Brooklyn-based artist who makes “urban soft sculptures,” has transformed everyone’s favorite subterranean pest into a decidedly cuddlier version of himself, complete with a soft slice of pizza slathered in cheese and mushrooms.

The original Pizza Rat.

Trachtenburg also re-created the original video with the help of some off-screen puppeteers. Unlike the original, in which Pizza Rat eventually abandons his quest for pizza goodness, his stuffed counterpart fares better, and is ultimately rewarded with the gooey snack.

AM New York reports that Trachtenburg will be selling stuffed rats for $80 and pizza slices for $20 tomorrow in Union Square—meaning that for just $100, you can own both an objet d’art and a priceless piece of Internet history. Will they appreciate in value on eBay as the rest of the country clamors for a huggable Pizza Rat of their very own? Only time (and #trends) will tell.